Very stupid reason these college students canceled fundraiser: Prisoners

Felons sitting in jail definitely have some problems – but a bunch of college students hosting a jail-themed fundraiser should not be one of them. by Jennifer Kabbany

Yet a Northwestern University “Jail ‘n Bail” sorority and fraternity benefit to raise money for childhood literacy was cancelled because a handful of whiny, snot-nosed students declared it offensive. The way the fundraiser works is you “arrest” your friends and then other people “bail” them out to raise money for a cause. In this case, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Zeta Beta Tau planned to team up to raise money for Reading is Fundamental, a children’s literacy nonprofit.

But at Northwestern – where annual tuition and fees come it at a whopping $45,000 – apparently the event was too elitist and insensitive to people in jail.

“You’re employing aspects, the orange jumpsuits, of an oppressive system that operates as a massive encumbrance to the lives and literacy rates of black and brown children in these ‘underprivileged’ areas,” complained one sophomore, according to the Daily Northwestern campus newspaper.

Bemoaned another student in a letter to the editor: “The fact that a group of wealthy Northwestern students are ‘playacting’ at being prisoners (most of whom are poor) is a blatant belittling of the realities of mass incarceration and the prison-industrial complex.”

That these protesters suggest jail is an inevitable reality for poor people and minorities is far more insulting than the fundraiser theme itself. But it was quickly axed anyway.

I blame the sorority and fraternity for this nonsense as much as I do these liberal students. When is someone on campus going to stand up to the politically correct squeaky wheels and tell them to pound sand?

As my peer at The College Fixpointed out, their complaints were utter nonsense.

“I’d like to suggest that what these protesters see as an ignorant parody of the minority experience is actually … a common college experience for all groups. The act of bailing someone out of jail crosses all races and socioeconomic groups. It’s almost a rite of passage for college students, especially when drinking or one-upsmanship are involved.”

I mean, c’mon – who among us has not had the handcuffs slapped on at least once in our wild days of youth?

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About Author

Jennifer Kabbany is Editor of The College Fix - run by veteran journalists for the benefit of budding journalists, identifying and supporting college students who seek to improve campus journalism, explore careers in the media and commit themselves to the principles of a free society.
Jennifer previously worked as a daily newspaper reporter and columnist for a decade, as well as held editorial positions at The Weekly Standard, Washington Times and FrontPageMagazine.

In 2008 my life changed when Barack Obama came into my front yard on a campaign stop. I asked him why he wanted to raise taxes, and he said that he wanted to “spread the wealth.” Since then, I have gained a national following as “Joe the Plumber” and now travel the country speaking and encouraging other everyday folks to get involved in the political process.